Nikken USA
Nikken USA
6 Trends for a Tasty 2015
Well, folks, as promised, we present our annual preview of the trends we expect to tantalize taste buds and motivate consumers to experiment with bold flavors. So how about 2015? What are the top trends we expect to have us obsessing and craving? More importantly, what will we will creating?
- Umami – Of course. But you expected that right? The fermentation craze is making its way across categories and is predicted by Food Technology to be one of the top five flavor trends for 2015, along with sweet/heat, sour/tangy, smoke/oak, and Middle Eastern/Northern Africa.1
- Say Cheese! – The popularity of Instagram has established photos as a communication form all its own especially with Millennials. Expect all ages to get into the action and for more apps to be created that capture food in its best light. Check out Vibrantly or Evernote Food.
- Snackification – Millennials have pretty much put snacking on the health and wellness map as this consumer group finds any time of day appropriate for a small meal. Actually 91% of consumers admit to snacking at least once a day.2 Expect this trend to only grow as the global snack market is expected to reach $334 billion in 2015.
- Vietnamese Food – Sometimes referred to as the healthiest Asian cuisine, the clean flavors of Vietnamese dishes will appeal to health conscious consumers as they experiment more and more with flavors. Mintel reports that 57% of consumers refer to themselves as adventurous eaters and 82% open to new flavors.3
- Pizza – A key player in the quintessential American diet, especially college-aged Millennials, pizza has remained largely relegated to carryouts and shopping malls. Not until Wolfgang Puck put pizza on the map in the 80’s was it ever considered highbrow but we anticipate regional pizza fast casual concepts to explode. Universal to all cuisines, pizza is a vehicle for healthy toppings and is satisfying to consumers.
- Techno-Foodies – Ordering tableside by iPads, apps that allow order time to be shortened or ordered from anywhere, and Apple Pay are keys to customization and keeping time-crunched consumers happy. Technology gives restaurants the ability to track a customer’s favorite menu item or remember what they ate at their last visit. This gives “Have it Your Way” a whole new meaning.
Well, there you have it: our spotlight on 2015. We wish you the happiest of holidays!
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